BlackRock has named Lee Kempler as executive director and Ewen Cameron Watt as chief investment strategist. Kempler was previously director of knowledge at McKinsey. Ewen has been with BlackRock since 1985. Kempler reports to Richard Kushel, head of the portfolio management group at BlackRock.

“We are proud to launch the BlackRock Investment Institute and believe that it highlights our firm’s commitment to producing a flow of information that makes us better investors and helps deliver performance for our clients,” Kushel said.

“Through the BlackRock Investment Institute, we will seek to standardize the process of ‘connecting the dots’ of innovative investment ideas across the organization and leverage that knowledge within clients’ portfolios,” Kushel added.